By J.J. Huggins
Staff writer
April 20, 2008 05:22 am METHUEN — When Methuen High School physical education teacher Mimi Hyde planned a field trip to a yoga studio that heats the room to 100-plus degrees, she didn't know if she'd attract enough students to even fill a bus. "Within 48 hours, I had more than I could take," she said. Hyde filled the 45 slots for the trip, then created a waiting list consisting of another 18 students, she said. Hyde wanted students to improve their posture and learn better stretching techniques. The students hopped on a bus to go to nearby Bikram Yoga in North Andover, where instructors cranked up the heat. Bikram Yoga, also known as Hot Yoga, is typically practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees with a humidity of 40 percent. Classes are guided through 25 postures and two breathing exercises in 90-minutes. "I don't think any of them have ever been to anything like this," Hyde said of the students. The youngsters surprised Hyde. "The kids did better than I anticipated," she said. A friend introduced Hyde to yoga, and she has been doing it for four to five years. It is the only physical activity "that I feel invigorated when I'm done, rather than exhausted," she said. "I'm not very good at stretching, so it has helped me to become more flexible," Hyde said. The educator guessed half the students will give it another go.
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Photos
Terri Almquist, center, director of Bikram Yoga in North Andover, guides a group of Methuen High students through 25 yoga postures and two breathing exercises in 90 minutes. Bikram, known as the Hot Yoga, is done in a 100-degree room. Staff photo
Methuen High School students stretch in a Bikram Yoga class. Staff photo
Sean Cairns, a Methuen High junior, and his classmates went on a field trip to Bikram Yoga in North Andover as part of the school's physical education program. Staff photo
The thermostat shows the temperature in the yoga room at 103.8 and climbing. Staff photo
Methuen High students learn yoga. Staff photo